Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, it was always a treat to venture into the “Big City”. Thankfully, my family did so often. And more than a few times, we would head to Clark Street to eat at Maggiano’s Little Italy.
According to Maggiano’s own story, “the dishes were simple, authentic classics, many of them coaxed out of Italian grandmothers, mothers, and aunts whose ideas of a recipe were a pinch of this and a sprinkle of that. Eager diners sometimes waited hours to celebrate family-style over Italian–American cuisine, reminiscent of a Sunday night visit to their grandmother’s house — or as they say in Italy, Nonna’s casa!” And, I AGREE!
Italian (or Italian-American) is some of my favorite cuisine. But I love the culture, as well. Big tables, even bigger dishes and LOTS of talking! So when one of my favorite YouTube subscribers requested that I make the Mushroom Ravioli al Forno from Maggiano’s, I jumped at the chance.
If you like to make your own pasta and are good at it (something that I am not), then I highly recommend making your own for the ravioli sheets. However, you have 2 options if not. The first, you can buy fresh pasta sheets from the grocery store. I will admit, they are not easy to find and expensive once you do find them. I was able to find Cappello’s brand at Whole Foods, but they were $10 a box. And they are grain-free, made with almond flour. I find this made little difference, though. The taste was very similar to Semolina flour pasta and the texture was spot on.
But an easier to find, and much cheaper alternative is to use wonton wrappers. You can find these anywhere, and at one-fourth the cost. The texture will be different, almost a “lighter” version. But actually, I found the texture to be delightful. The wonton wrappers made the ravioli more delicate. Either way, you will need to purchase 2-3 packages of whatever you choose, as the recipe will make 25-30 ravioli.
When using the Cappello’s brand lasagna sheets, the ravioli will need to simmer longer than the wonton wrappers, as they are thicker and more dense. You will remove the ravioli from the simmering water once they begin to float to the top. This will take 2-2.5 minutes for the Cappello’s and only 1-1.5 minutes when using wonton wrappers. Trust me, you will not go wrong either way. These ravioli are so. darned. delicious.
If you need help, check out my YouTube video below on how to make the ravioli.
For more Italian inspired recipes, check out my Olive Garden’s Pasta e fa*gioli and my Carrabba’s Pollo Rosa Maria and Enjoy!
Maggiano's Little Italy's Mushroom Ravioli al Forno
Serves: 25-30 ravioli Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts:200 calories20 grams fat
Ingredients
- CREAM SAUCE
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1/8 cup cubed Spanish onions
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Fresh thyme, from 1 sprig
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 TBL EVOO
- Kosher salt & cracked black pepper, to taste
- MUSHROOM RAVIOLI
- 3 TBL unsalted butter
- 1 cup Spanish onion, diced
- 16 oz. Bella (cremini) mushrooms, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/3 cup whipping cream
- 4 oz. Asiago cheese, shredded
- 1 TBL fresh thyme
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt
- ½ tsp. cracked black pepper
- 1 egg white, beaten
- Fresh pasta (lasagna) sheets or wonton wrappers
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan, to top ravioli
- Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
Instructions
CREAM SAUCE
In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the EVOO on a medium heat. Once oil begins to shimmer, add the onion, crushed garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Sauté until the onions are translucent, but do not allow the onions or garlic to brown.
Turn heat up to medium-high and add the white wine. Reduce the wine until almost dry.
Add the heavy cream, salt and pepper and bring to a low simmer. Stir frequently and reduce the cream for 5 minutes. Strain the cream sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the sieve contents. Set cream sauce aside and keep warm until use.
RAVIOLI
In a large skillet, melt the butter over a medium-high heat. Once the butter melts, add the onion and sauté until golden brown. Add the fresh thyme and garlic, and sauté 45 seconds more. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms get a golden color. Add the wine, cream, salt and pepper and simmer until the cream/wine become nearly dry, stirring frequently.
Once the cream/wine have mostly cooked off, fold in the Asiago cheese and mix well. Set aside the mixture to cool, slightly.
Once the mixture has cooled (about 5-10 minutes), pulse the mushroom mixture in a food processor for 30 seconds.
To make the ravioli: Using a ½ cup measuring cup, cut the pasta sheets or wonton wrapper into 2 inch circles. Simply place the measuring cup onto the pasta and cut around the circle, using a paring knife.
Place 1 TBL of the filling into the center of 1 circle. Using your fingers, spread the egg white around the edge of the bottom ravioli. Taking another pasta circle, spread the egg white along the edge of the top ravioli. Flip the top ravioli over and place over the bottom ravioli and filling, so that the egg whites “meet”. Gently tamp down the top ravioli. Gently pick up the ravioli and pinch the ravioli all the way around the edges, so that the filling is secure in the center of the ravioli. Set completed ravioli aside on parchment paper and repeat the process. You should be able to make 25-30 raviolis.
Once the raviolis have been formed, in a large pot, simmer 1.5-2 inches of salted water. Do not allow the water to boil aggressively, or you may end up breaking apart the raviolis. Using a slotted spoon, gently drop the ravioli into the simmering water, one by one. Work in batches, so to not overcrowd the pot.
If you are using pasta sheets, boil the ravioli for about 2-2.5 minutes or until they begin to float to the top. If you are using wonton wrappers, the ravioli should begin to float to the top in about 1.5 minutes. Using the same slotted spoon, gently remove the ravioli from the simmering water and place in an oven safe dish/plate. Repeat this process until all the ravioli have been in the simmering water.
Put your oven rack on the top and start your broiler. Once all the ravioli have been simmered and are in the oven safe dish, pour the cream sauce over the top of the ravioli and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the ravioli. Place the ravioli under the broiler until the Parmesan cheese begins to slightly brown. Remove from under the broiler, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL
